The present invention relates to a tablet unit which is mountable on a game device in which command information is inputted by contacting a touch pen to a tablet.
As an image device typically exemplified by a video game device for children is known an image device for playing a game by loading software in the form of a picture book in a game device and watching both the picture book and a TV monitor screen.
An example of such game device is shown in FIG. 18. A video game device 12 includes a foldable game device body 14. An upper lid 18 of the game device body 14 is taken off a bottom lid 15 thereof, and a picture book-type game cartridge 22 is inserted into a cartridge slot 20 provided in the inside of the upper lid 18. Four direction buttons 24 and an execution button 26 are provided on the left side of the inside of the bottom lid 16 of the game device body 14. Four direction buttons 24 and one execution button 26 are disposed on the left side of the inside of the bottom lid 16, a tablet 28 is disposed on the center thereof, and a touch pen holder 30 is disposed on the right side of the inside thereof. The four direction buttons 24 are an upward direction button 24a, a downward button 24b, a right button 24c and a left direction button 24d, which are arranged in a cross-shape.
The direction button 24 and the execution button 26 are operated by an operator, and the operator commands four upward, downward, left and right directions by the direction button 24 and gives an execution command by the execution button 26. The touch pen holder 30 holds a touch pen 32. The touch pen 32 is contacted to a picture book of a game cartridge 22 and the tablet 28 to operate the picture book software. The tablet 28 detects by the electromagnetic induction method a position where the touch pen 32 is near the tablet. As described in Japanese Patent-Laid Open Publication No. Tokkai Hei 05-137846/1993, the electromagnetic induction method detects a position by detecting an electromagnetic signal supplied by the tablet 28 by the touch pen 32.
On the center of the inside of the upper lid 18 of the game device body 14 there is provided a picture book mount unit 34 where a picture book-type game cartridge 22 is mounted at the center thereof. The picture book mount unit 34 detects by the electromagnetic induction method, as does the tablet 28, a position where the touch pen 32 is near the picture book.
As described above, in the video game device 12 using picture book software, a required part of the picture is touched by the touch pen 32 to replace a game display on the monitor screen, or a required part of a game display is touched by the touch pen to play various games. By tracing the tablet 28 by the touch pen 32 as in drawing a picture with a paintbrush, pictures can be drawn freely on the monitor screen.
However, in the above-described video game device 12, when a car driving game is displayed on a game display, the touch pen 32 must be operated to, e.g., command a driving direction of the car. This gives no feeling of driving a car and makes the simulated operation unrealistic, and the game is unsatisfactory as a simulated experience play for children.